Unit for attaching electric fence wire to a supporting post

ABSTRACT

A pair of complemental flexible and resilient arms have interlocking outer end portions that grip a wire and have mounting inner end portions that are cooperatively clamped onto a supporting post by an interlocking engagement between the portions of the arms intermediate such end portions so that the arms extend laterally in side by side unitary relationship from the post to support the wire in a horizontal position spaced away from the post.

United States Patent 1 1 Hansen UNIT FOR ATTACHING'ELECTRIC FENCE WIRE TO A SUPPORTING POST [76] Inventor: Ralph D. Hansen, Box 117, Rt. 3,

Sioux Falls, S. Dak. 57101 [22] Filed: July 13, 1973 [211 Appl. No.: 379,185

[52] US. Cl. 174/163 F, 174/175, 248/228,

' 248/230 [51] Int. Cl 1101b 17/16, AOlk 3/00 [58] Field of Search 174/45 R, 158 R, 158 F,

174/161 F, 163 R,164,174,175,163 P; '24/81 CC, 81 CR; 248/65, 72, 221, 226 D, 226 E, 228, 229, 230; 256/3, 10, 47, 48, 54

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,888 3 1902 Pfluger 248/229 x 1,466,057 8/1923 Mathews 248 229 x 1,630,441 5/1927 1.011 174/163 F ux 111 3,801,731 1 51 Apr. 2,1974

5/1954 Eide et al. 174/158 F UX 2,677,529 2,801,277 7 1957 Numsen 174 158 F FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 257,988 3 1913 Germany 248/72 281,351 6/1952 Switzerland 174/161 F Primary Examiner-Laramie E. Askin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frank C. Maley 57 ABSTRACT A pair of complemental flexible and resilient arms have interlocking outer end portions that grip a wire and have mounting inner end portions that are coop.- eratively clamped onto a supporting post by an interlocking engagement between the portions of the arms intermediate such end portions so that the arms extend laterally in side by side unitary relationship from the post to support the wire in a horizontal position spaced away from the post.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention .The present invention generally appertains to new and novel improvements in' devices for supporting articles of a strand-like nature, such as wires, and especially relates to a new and novel device for attaching electric fence wires to supporting posts in the erection of a fence.

using such devices, for such known devices require the use of fasteners, either to attach the supporting insulative devices to the wires or to attach such devices to the posts. And also, such devices require a certain degree of skill in their assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus, a 'primary object of the present invention is to provide a wire supporting unit that can be attached in g a supporting manner to anelectric wire and then attached in a clamping manner onto a post without the use of any fasteners or tools and with a minimum expenditure of labor and within a short span of time.

. While the unit is especially designed for electric fence wires, it can be appreciated that it can be used for supporting any type of fence wire and attaching such wire onto a supporting post.

In essence, the unit comprises a pair of cooperating arms whiehhave outer interlocking end portions that grippingly engage a wire and which have clamping inner end portions'that are clamped onto opposite sides of a fence post by a self-interlocking arrangement provided on the portion of the arms intermediate the outer and inner end portions. Such intermediate interlocking arrangement serves to urge the inner end portions together with the arms being constructed from an inherently resilient and flexible material. In the instance of electrical fence wires, such material would also be of a non-conductive nature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING the wire supporting units and is taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective showing of the wire attaching unit in attachment to a different type of supporting post.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

2 FIG. 5 is a side elevational view depicting the manner in which the arms of the unit are clamped to a supporting post after grippingly engaging a wire.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the wire supporting and attaching units 10 are provided for securing and attaching an electric fence wire 12 to steel supporting posts, such as the T-shaped posts 14 of FIG. 1 or the round rod type post 14a of FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the preferred environment, the attaching units I0 are provided to attach the electric fence wire 12 to a steel fence post of any type, for example, such as the posts I4 or 14a of FIGS. 1 and 3. However, the units 10 can be used for attaching an electrical wire or any type of wire, such as barbed wire, to any type of fence posts, such as those fabricated from engineering plastics, wood or other material.

In the preferred environment, each unit '10 is composed of a pair of side by side complemental arms 16 and 18, which are formed of non-conductive material, having regard to the electrical nature of the wire '12. In their unitary relationship the arm 16 may be considered the upper arm while the arm 18 may be designated as the lower arm. This is from a standpoint of erection or assembly, as shown in FIG. 5, since in their erected unitar'y wire supporting assemblage of FIGS. 1 or 3, the arms are in a side by side coplanar relationship. The arms are mirror images in a upside down reversed arrangement, as will be apparent from a consideration of FIG. 5.

Regardless of the environmental usage, the arms 16 and 18 are formed from an inherently flexibleand resilient materiaL'Generic to any environment would be the fabrication of the arms from plastics materials of a flexible, inherent resilient and preferably non-conductive nature. Such materials as polyethylene or thermoplastics, like polystyrene, would be usable. Or natural or artificial rubber would be usable.

As best shown in FIG. 5, the arms 16 and 18 are provided with outer end portions 20 and 22 which have mating notches 24 and 26. In this respect, the upper arm 16 has a straight bottom edge 28 which is complemental to the straight top edge 30 of the lower arm 18. The arm 16 has a straight top edge 32 and the notch 24 is formed therethrough perpendicularly into the outer end portion 22 of the arm 16. The arm 18 has a straight bottom edge 34 with the notch 26 being formed therethrough perpendicularly into the of the arm.

As can be best appreciated'from a consideration of FIG. 5, the arms 16 and 18 cooperate as the unit 10. And in so cooperating the arm 16 may be considered as the upper arm of the unit while the arm 18 may be considered as the lower arm. In such cooperation, the outer end portions 20 and 22 have their identical notches 24 and 26 in an interlocking relationship with respect to each other and in gripping engagement of the wire 12. In such a manner, the wire is gripped by the interlocking outer end portions 20 and 22 of the complemental arms 16 and 18 of each of the units 10.

outer end portion 20 The arm 16 is provided with an inner end portion 36 which has an anchoring or mounting flange 38 integrally provided thereon with the flange being of an angular or semi-circular cross-sectional configuration and having portions that project above and below the top and bottom edges of the arm. In a similar fashion, the end portion 40 of the arm 18 has an anchoring or mounting flange 42- which is complemental to the flange 38. The flanges 38 and 42 are of similar shape and size and are adapted to engage diametrically oppo- I end portions'whereby the anchoring flanges are biased into a clamping relation on a supporting post.

The interlocking means 46 is preferably of an integral nature with respect to the bottom edge 28 of the arm 16 and the cooperating top edge 30 of the arm 18. Thus, as Shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and as can best be appreciated from FIG. 5, such means 46 includes a pair of narrow slots 48 and 50 formed transversely of the longitudinal axis of the arm 16 and extending perpendicularly through the edge 28 in a lengthwise spaced apart arrangement. A similar and complemental pair of I I slots 52 and 54 is formed in the arm 18-and extend nrmal to the longitudinal axis thereof. The slots pass "through the edge 30. The forward slots 48 and 52 are adapted to interengage while the rearward slots 50 and 54'are similarly adapted. The slots are of such a depth that in their interlocking 0r interengaging relationship the top edge 30 of the arm 18 becomes coplanar with the top edge 32 of the arm 16, as shown in FIGS. v1 and 3 The slots on each arm provide, in their interengaging relationship, the proper tension on the inner end portions 36 and 40 of the arms so as to bias the anchoring flanges 38 and 42 into clamping relation on the opposite sides of a post. The two slots on each unit provide the proper tension for clamping the flanges on the regular T-type fence post 14 of FIG. 1 as well as on the steel rod type post 14a of FIG. 3; In use with some types of posts, only the forward pair of slots 48 and 52 need be interengaged. And, on the other hand, the slots 50 and 54 may be used, without the forward pairof slots, in fastening the unit on other type posts.

In use, the interlocking outer end portions and 22 of the arms grip the wire 12 and then the arms are flexed apart so as to dispose the anchoring flanges 38 and 42 on opposite sides of a post. The arms are in the relative spread apart position as shown in FIG. 5.

And from such position, the arm 16 is swung downwardly and the arm 18 is swung upwardly about the wire 12 as a pivot axis with the slots 48 and 52 and/or 50 and 54 being interengaged so as to tightly clamp the flanges on the post. In its erected position, the unit 10 will extend laterally from the post in a horizontal plane and will dispose the wire 12 spaced far enough away from the posts to eliminate any shorting out thereof. In this respect, the length of the unit is preferably from 6 to 8 inches.

As can be appreciated, the unit is simple and easy to fasten on any type of post and it can be erected to either side of any post without the use of any tools or fasteners.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown in the drawing and described herein, it is to be understood thatsuch is merely exemplary in nature and that the invention is only to be limited by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v 1. A unit for attaching a fence wire to an erected fence post comprising a' pair of complementary inherently resilient and flexible substantially flat arms, said arms being adapted to be disposed in a side by side complemental relationship in lateral projection from a fence post and having outer end portions having interlocking .notches within which a strand of wire is adaptedto be disposed, said arms having cooperating inner end portions adapted to clampingly engage opposite portions of a post and means carried by said arms intermediate said end portions for urging said inner end portions into clamping engagement of the post.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arms are formed from material of a non-conductive nature.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said inner end portions have anchoring flanges. I

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said urging means is formed integral by with the arms.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said urging means includes the provision of interlocking slots in cooperating edges of the arms.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein one arm has a lower edge and the other arm has an upper edge, said edges being provided with slots that pass therethrough and are disposed normal of the arms with said slots being interlocking.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said one arm also has an upper edge and the other arm also has a lower edge and the slots being of a depth so that when they are interlocked the upper edges of the arms are coplanar and the lower edges of the arms are also coplanar. 

1. A unit for attaching a fence wire to an erected fence post comprising a pair of complementary inherently resilient and flexible substantially flat arms, said arms being adapted to be disposed in a side by side complemental relationship in lateral projection from a fence post and having outer end portions having interlocking notches within which a strand of wire is adapted to be disposed, said arms having cooperating inner end portions adapted to clampingly engage opposite portions of a post and means carried by said arms intermediate said end portions for urging said inner end portions into clamping engagement of the post.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arms are formed from material of a non-conductive nature.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said inner end portions have anchoring flanges.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said urging means is formed integral by with the arms.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said urging means includes the provision of interlocking slots in cooperating edges of the arms.
 6. The invention of claim 1 wherein one arm has a lower edge and the other arm has an upper edge, said edges being provided with slots that pass therethrough and are disposed normal of the arms with said slots being interlocking.
 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said one arm also has an upper edge and the other arm also has a lower edge and the slots being of a depth so that when they are interlocked the upper edges of the arms are coplanar and the lower edges of the arms are also coplanar. 